Summer vegetable torta (modified to be nondairy by me, from Dream About Food blog)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4″ thick

2 red peppers, sliced into 1/4″ strips

8 ounces soy cream cheese, softened

6 large eggs

1/4 cup soy cream

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups shredded nondairy cheese (I used cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and brush bottom and sides of a 9″ springform pan with oil. Line bottom with parchment and brush parchment with oil. Wrap outside of pan with aluminum foil.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, zucchini, and fresh peppers. Saute until vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in eggs until combines (it’s okay if it’s a little lumpy). Beat in cream. Stir in garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Using a slotted spoon to drain off liquid, add sauteed veggies to egg mixture. Add shredded cheese. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine.

Spread mixture in a prepared pan and set pan on baking sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 hours or until top is puffy and golden brown and the center no longer jiggles when shaken. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes in pan, then run a sharp knife around edges of torta to loosen. Gently remove pan sides. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. Makes 8 servings.

1 whole-grain baguette, cut crosswise into 4 sections, each about 6″ long

1 tomato, thinly sliced

lettuce leaves

Chop the roasted bell pepper coarsely. In a blender or food processor, combine the roasted pepper, shallot, walnuts, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, the mustard, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Pulse a few times to puree and set aside.

In a large, nonstick frying pan, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken to the pan and cook, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides and no longer pink on the inside (170 F if using a food thermometer), 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. Thinly slice the chicken lengthwise into strips. (You can also do this on the grill)

In the same frying pan, heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute, turning frequently, until well browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from the heat and drizzle with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar. (you can also grill these, too, instead of frying)

Using a serrated knife, split the baguette sections in half lengthwise. Spread about 1 tablespoon red pepper mixture on both halves of each baguette section. To assemble a sandwich, place 1 mushroom half on the bottom half of a baguette section. Top with 1/4 of the chicken, a lettuce leaf, and 1 or 2 tomato slices. Close the sandwich with the top half of the baguette section, and slice in half. Repeat to make 3 more sandwiches, and then serve. If making ahead, omit the red pepper mixture, wrap the sandwiches in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Spread the red pepper mixture on the baguettes just before serving. Makes 4 sandwiches.

Pour a little oil into a pot and saute the onion. Add the fennel and leek, and saute until the veggies soften. Add the fava beans and the rest of the ingredients, and top off with about a quart of water. Boil until the beans soften, about 10 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Heat a large, non-stick pot. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the basil and pine nuts. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.

Stir in fresh basil and serve in individual soup bowls, topped with 1 teaspoon of pine nuts, if desired.

Here’s a delicious pasta salad that was easy to adapt to nondairy. I went to my local health food store, where they sell frozen soy ravioli, but this would also taste good with gnocchi, which is usually made nondairy also. Instead of feta cheese, which was called for, I grated some soy mozzarella. The flavors blend nicely in this dish – it’s not over-powering zing; just nicely seasoned and spiced.

On a cutting board, sprinkle minced garlic with coarse salt. Mash garlic with the flat of your knife, scraping back and forth until garlic becomes a paste. Scrape up the garlic paste with your knife and add it to a small jar. Add red wine vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, and black pepper. Shake or whisk to combine.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, bet margarine and 7/8 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, almond milk, and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Pour into prepared pie pan. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 – 60 minutes. (Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given). Let cool in the pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Makes 8 – 10 servings.

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DAIRY FREE ZONE

Got zero tolerance for dairy products? I know I do. So let's enjoy our favorite dishes here, and some new ones too, that have absolutely zero dairy ingredients inside but 100% goodness and great taste.

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